Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD)

Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD) is the effective density that combines current mud density and annular pressure drop. ECD is vital for drilling engineering since it limits how depth of each section to be drilled and leads to losses.

The equivalent circulating density formula is shown below

Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD) in ppg = (annular pressure loss in psi) ÷ 0.052 ÷ true vertical depth (TVD) in ft + (current mud weight in ppg)

Example:

Annular pressure loss = 400 psi
True Vertical Depth = 8,000 ft
Current mud weight in ppg = 10 ppg

ECD in ppg = (400 psi ÷ 0.052 ÷ 8,000 ft) + 10.0 ppg

ECD = 11.0 ppg

Please find the Excel sheet to calculate equivalent circulating density (ECD)